Privacy Practices

Protecting Your Privacy

It is your right as a patient to be informed of the privacy practices of the North Shore Fire Department that transported you, as well as to be informed of your privacy rights with respect of personal health information (PHI), as stated in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. The North Shore Fire Department and its billing service, Andres Medical Billing (AMB) will respond to requests, concerns, or questions regarding this policy or use of your PHI as it relates to obtaining insurance payment, or other health care operations.

North Shore Fire Department Responsibility

  • Maintain the privacy of your health information
  • Provide you with a notice of legal duties and privacy practices regarding PHI collected and maintained about you
  • Permitted by federal privacy rule to use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or health operations
  • Used for evaluation of patient care services, continuity of care with other covered entities for the purposes of care coordination or quality improvement, evaluation of the performance of Emregency Medical Services (EMS) staff, business projects, research and internal audits

Your PHI Rights

You may request restrictions on uses and disclosures of PHI, even if the restriction effects your treatment or payments to the provider or health operations activities. The fire department is not required to agree to your requested restriction. The North Shore Fire Department or its billing service (Andres Medical Billing (AMB)) will accommodate any reasonable request. This request for access to your health care record should be in writing to the compliance officer.

The request must be signed by yourself, your power of attorney or personal representative and notarized. Requesting an amendment to your health record, if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete as documented by the fire department, must be in written form and given to the compliance officer. If the North Shore Fire Department does not agree with your request for change, your request may be denied.

PHI Uses or Disclosures without Your Authorization

Without your written authorization, the North Shore Fire Department may disclose your PHI as required by law. This includes PHI pertaining to workers compensation claim, victims of abuse, neglect or domestic violence for judicial proceedings, for law enforcement purposes, for statutory reporting to the State of WI, for public health safety, a request by state or federal agencies for activities relating to death, tissue donation or serious risk to health and safety.

Requests Regarding PHI

All requests regarding your PHI should initiate with Andres Medical Billing (AMB). The phone number is 800-244-2345.

Daniel Tyk, Battalion Chief of EMS is the privacy officer for the North Shore Fire Department and is responsible for the overall administration of your PHI. He can be contacted at 414-357-0113 x-1513.